Companies delivering freshness

Updated 9:41 pm, Friday, September 14, 2012

If that's what Judson Independent School District serves for lunch, no wonder students want to eat more vegetables.

“They're delicious,” says Christina Welch, Judson's interim director of child nutrition. “I had one school tell me they couldn't believe how many salads the kids are taking.”

This is the third year Judson has been serving seasonal, farm-fresh fruits and vegetables to its kids. It takes more effort and money to go the local route, Welch says, but the benefits are worth it: The produce is of higher quality and has a longer shelf life, and the district supports local farmers.

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Judson buys the produce from Austin-based Farm to Table, a business that distributes locally grown farm products to restaurants, schools, independent grocery stores and cafeterias in Austin, San Antonio and surrounding areas. Randolph Field ISD is also a client. About 1,200 schools participate in farm-to-school programs, according to the National Farm to School Network.

John Lash, who founded Farm to Table four years ago, acts as a middleman between the Texas farmers and ranchers who produce food and the people who want to buy it. His clients receive jalapeños and peaches from Fredericksburg, strawberries from Poteet, cucumbers from Pleasanton, goat milk cheese from Bryan and cage-free eggs from Gonzales.

Lash encourages restaurants to buy what they can from farmers and farmers markets, but by supplementing what they purchase, he helps expand the chefs' options.

“In early years, they wouldn't truly understand what was in season,” he says. “I don't know how many restaurants would ask for pineapple. But a lot of restaurants have gotten into the rhythm of the seasons.”

And his clients aren't just white-tablecloth restaurants. Diners, burger places and taco joints also buy from Farm to Table.

“They value the integrity of the food,” Lash says. “They know the farmer, they know his growing techniques and they're real comfortable with the product.”

Restaurants are also responding to demand from customers who value local food. For many people, it's about taste.

“The food is often just more enjoyable,” says Erin Barnett of LocalHarvest.org, a national directory for sources of locally grown foods. “It's fresher, and the varieties that are chosen are chosen for flavor instead of ship-ability.”

Greenling, a company that delivers organic, local food to residences and offices, also is enjoying rapid growth in San Antonio, says spokeswoman Kathryn Hutchison.

The online grocery store was founded in Austin in 2005 and expanded to San Antonio and outlying areas in 2008. Greenling's customers want food that farmers haven't sprayed with pesticides and that distributors haven't transported thousands of miles, and they want it delivered to their door.

Greenling customers can build a basket with a customized selection of produce and local grass-fed meats, dairy and other products. Consumers who like receiving whatever a local farmer harvests can sign up for community-support agriculture operations. CSAs, such as Scott Arbor in Seguin, distribute fresh produce to members who have paid a fee in advance.